Why is poor/average service more common than excellent service?

The answer is really quite simple – customer satisfaction requires 100% of the workforce to deliver 100% perfectly, 100% of the time – and that's a tall order. Let's take an example:

One of your best customer's latest invoice is unpaid, despite a friendly reminder being sent out (and we all know how common this is!)

Someone in the accounts department has had a bad day and either calls the company to chase and is a bit shirty on the telephone, or doesn't think when writing an email, and the email comes across rude and abrupt.

The reason that the customer hasn't paid is that he is waiting for another member of staff to answer a query on the service delivered on the invoice and that other member of staff hasn't responded to his query.

Your customer is now feeling affronted by the finance department, and his back is now up.

He is now thinking about that other large business proposal that you have been touting for and thought was a dead cert it would be coming your way, when in fact, he is now questioning your service and looking more favourably at your competitor who is being charm personified as they want the new business and take a scalp off you.

See how easy it is?

Customer service has to work through every department, throughout the whole company.